What Is E Ink? The Tech Behind the reMarkable, Kindle, and the Future of Digital Paper

If you’ve ever picked up a Kindle, jotted notes on a reMarkable tablet, or spotted a sleek bus stop ad that looks like paper—but isn’t—you’ve encountered E Ink. This clever display tech brings the best of both worlds: the look of ink on paper and the flexibility of a screen.

But how does it work, where did it come from, and what’s next (hint: color E Ink is getting real good)? Let’s break it down.

What Exactly Is E Ink?

E Ink (short for electronic ink) is a type of electrophoretic display—a fancy term that means it moves tiny particles around using electric fields to make things appear on a screen.

Imagine millions of microcapsules—each smaller than a human hair—filled with black and white particles suspended in a clear fluid. When a positive or negative charge is applied, the particles shift to the surface, creating text or images. No backlight. No glare. Just a surface that reads like paper

I highly recommend a cruise through there company site as the Technology section is a lovely rabbit hole https://www.eink.com/tech

The Origin Story: From MIT Labs to Millions of Devices

E Ink was invented in the mid-1990s at MIT’s Media Lab by students J.D. Albert and Barrett Comiskey, who wanted to replicate the look of ink on paper electronically. They co-founded E Ink Corporation, and by 2004, Sony released the first E Ink eReader in Japan.

Fast forward: Amazon popularized it with the Kindle, and now companies like reMarkable and Kobo have brought it to digital notetaking, tablets, and even smartphones.

Why E Ink Feels So Different

• No blue light or glare – Easy on the eyes for long sessions.
• Ultra-low power – It only uses energy when the page changes.
• Visible in sunlight – Like real paper.
• Paper feel for writing – Tablets like the reMarkable 2 mimic the feel of pen on paper with special screen texture and styluses.

Products Using E Ink

✍️ reMarkable 2

The gold standard for distraction-free digital note taking. With no apps or notifications, it’s pure focus and flow.
🧠 Great for: writers, students, and thinkers who want tech that gets out of the way.

✍️ reMarkable Paper Pro

The same great experience the original, but larger and with color baby!

📚 Kindle Paperwhite

A book lover’s dream: waterproof, long battery life, and a glare-free reading experience even at the beach. This is Mrs. Makers side kick
🧠 Great for: binge-reading without eye strain.

🖋️ Boox Tab Ultra C – Color E Ink

Yes—color E Ink is here as well. It’s not as vibrant as an iPad, but it’s improving rapidly. Think comics, PDFs, or graphs with muted color that doesn’t burn your eyes.

🧠 Great for: professionals and creatives who want color without switching to an LCD or OLED.

Wait… There’s Color E Ink?

Yes! Initially, color E Ink (like E Ink Kaleido and Gallery 3) looked a bit washed out. But today’s latest displays are faster, sharper, and can show thousands of colors. They’re still evolving but are now used in digital signage, price tags, and tablets like the reMarkable Paper Pro and Boox Nova Air C.

Color E Ink works by adding a color filter layer over the black-and-white microcapsules or by layering color particles in the capsules themselves (in newer models). It’s a balancing act between refresh speed, contrast, and power efficiency. I previously looked at this technology for a Qwerty keyboard project, but this was many moons ago and at the time was just too expensive and not responsive enough. The times are changing and boy has this capability come a long way and fast.

What’s Next for E Ink?

E Ink is spreading into:

• Retail (dynamic shelf pricing and signage)
• Phones (like the dual-screen YotaPhone)
• Smartwatches (think always-on, week-long battery)
• ePaper notebooks and planners (physical-digital hybrids)

And as color E Ink matures, we might see more full-featured tablets for artists, engineers, and business users who want all-day battery and eye-friendly visuals. I plan on upgrading to a reMarkable Paper Pro this summer as I’ve been a very satisfied reMarkable user with the version 2 of their tablet.